Council amends council-meeting code to update open‑meeting compliance; retains broader correspondence practice

The Liberty Hill City Council on Aug. 27 approved an amendment to the city code (Chapter 2, Division 2) to conform council-meeting procedures with updated open‑meeting requirements. The ordinance (2025‑O‑034) was adopted with a specific modification: council removed a proposed change that would have limited automatic distribution of member correspondence to materials "related to agenda items."
Councilmembers discussed whether correspondence submitted to individual council members should be circulated to the full council only when it pertains to an agenda item or whether the previous broader practice of distributing council correspondence citywide should continue. Several councilmembers said that sharing correspondence broadly ensures every councilmember has the same information and avoids surprises or inadvertent serial discussions; one councilmember noted the practice helps prevent inadvertent quorum or information asymmetry.
City legal staff confirmed the exhibit attached to the ordinance should show strikeouts and underlining to comply with charter requirements, and staff clarified that state Open Meetings Act changes (including a three-business‑day posting standard discussed earlier in the meeting) informed edits to the city code. After the council removed the limiting language from section 2.02.0.033 and approved the remaining amendments, the motion passed unanimously, 6–0.
Council members directed staff to provide the properly marked exhibit and to finalize the ordinance language to reflect the council's practice of sharing council correspondence when appropriate.